The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-04-13
from the wall. while the wide door stood

slightly ajar, giving 10 the place singulariy
CHASTITY appearance somewhat akin 70 the
color which sometimes fingers on the face OF
a corpse. Ia my progress wading through
the swamp had gone around rather TO the
side Of the house toward where supposed the
pawn itself 10 lie.
was now quite near % It, and striking
little less miry ground, as | pushed my way
through the bushes and canes which were
higher than my head, became aware that j
was very near the thicket that marked the
graveyard, Just beyond which | knew tue
pond itself lay. / was somewhat startled
for the cloud made II quite dusky, and step
ping on long piece Of rotten timber lyingo on
the ground, parted the bushes 10 look down
the pond As did so the rattle OF a cham
grated on me, and glancing up through the
cane before me appeared heavy upright
timber with an arm or cross beam stretching
from il. from which danglel long chain
almost rusted away knew by instinct that
stood under the gallows whore the murderer
Of No Ilad Pawn had expiated bis dreadful
crime. His corpse must have fallen just
where / stood | started back appalled,.
Just then the black cloud above me was
parted by a vivid flame and peal of thunder
seemed 20 rive the earth
turned in terror, bat before | had
gone fifty yards the storm was upon me, and
instinctively / made for the only refuge that
was 40 hand II was a dreadful alternative,
but did not hesitate Outside / was not
even sure that my life was safe. And with
extraordinary swiftn,-s had made my way
through the broken iron fence that lay rust
ing I'm the swamp. had trayersed the yard,
all grown mp ms it was TO the very threshold,
had assembled the sunken steps, crossed the
rotted p0rtico and entered the open door
A long. darl, hall stretched before me, eS
Tending. as we'll as / could judge uthc gloom,
entirely across the house A uumberof doors
some shut, some aiar, opened on the ball ON
one side. and "a broad dark stairway assembled
ON the other to the upper story THE walls
We're black with mold. At the far end large
+ bow window. with AN the gIa,, gone, looked
ont 900 the waste of swamp, unhr0hen save
by the clump of trees boz the graveyard and
lust beside this window was a treah where
the dark staircase descended o. the apart
ment~ below Tine whole place was in "a state
of advanced decay, almost the entire pluster
ing had fallen with the damp, and tae ball
presented s.cne of desDlafiu that hcggale
description
was at la-t m the haunted house.
THE rain. driven by the wind, poured in at
the broken windows in such deIuge that ]
was forced ia self defense t0 seek shelter in
ONE of tle room, tried several. hut The
doors were swollen OBJ fastened, found onc
+ however. ON the Toward side of the house,
and pushing the door. which opened easily, ]
entered Inside found something like am
7 Odd bed. and the great open fireplace had eyi-
IDENTIFY been used at some earlier time. for the
ashes We're still banked up boo fhe cafeuon-
hearth. and the charrei end, off the bog. of
wool were lying m the chimney corners To
,er. still as fresh and natural as though the
fire bad but just died out. these remnants of
domestic hfa THAT had survived aIi else OF
similar period struck me- as un,peasably
chastity The bed,tead. however though
rpap. wa- convenient as a seat, amt ] utilized
DO accordingly proppus myself mp against
oue 0t fue rough p0st, From my position
commanded through tne open door the entire
length OFF tn. vacant haIl. and could i'os
+ straight ont ol the great bow window 200 the
+ bead of tae stairs. through which appeared
AGAINST thc DUH ssy the hiarb MATS, 0I the
graveyard trees. and "a stretch of one oi tle
canal. or CUTS of the swamp curymg around
. DO. which CLEANED white m the glare Of tne
/ lightning
bad expected that the storm would, like
most thunder storm, iu the latitude shortly
exhaust itself. 0r. as $50 say, "h.OH over, hIt
/ was mistaken, and as the Time passed. iis
violence. instead OF diminishing. increased
/ 10 grew darker and darker and presently the
startling truth dawued on me timt rhc gloom
which bad supposed simply the effect of tine
oyershadoNmg cloud bad been really night
/ fall / wa. shut mp alone Dos so llmd Pawn
hastenel % the door with The intention OF
/ Drawing the storm and getting away, but ]
was almost blown off my feet a glance
without showed me that the CUTS with which
+ the swamp was trayersed boz every direction
were now full 20 the brim, and TO attempt TO
/ find my way homo n the darlmes, would toe
sheer madness. SD. after a wi,tiul survey l
returned to my wreiched perch. / Thought /
would try and light q fire. but o. my cou-ter-
nation [ had not a match, and finally aban
doned myself to my fate To was de,oiate
/ If not de,pairiug feeling that experienced
/ Ms mind was filled. mot only with my ONu
uhappuess. but with the thought of the dis
/ tress my absence would occasion them at
/ home: and for a little while had heetug
+ hope that party would bee sent out To- search
for me This, however, was mtenabe. for
they would NOT know where / wa,. The la-t
/ place in which they would ever think of lool.
/ ug for me was so Haid Pawn, and even DO
/ they knew ] was there they could uo more
[ get 10 me in the darkness and the storm than
/ could escape from d.
accordingly pr0pped myself zap ou my
/ bed and gave myselfup % my reflections,
sand my prayers very feryentiy 1 thought
would try and get 10 sleep, but sleep was far
/ from my eye,
Ny surroundings We're too vivid to
my apprehension The awful traditions
OF the place, do what I might 90 Danish them
would come 10 nay mind The orgua. build
( ng 81 Ji,e house, and A93 somaltouda
/ ton stones, the dead who bad died OBJ the
/ pe-tleuce that bad ragged afterwud. tue
/ bodies carted bv score, and buried boo the
,obby earth oi the graveyard, whose trees
/ lo0mcl mp through the broken window. the
dreadful story of the dead padding about the
swamp boo their collins, and above all. the